A photographic guide to what you may find in your baby's nappy

Thank you to Emma's Diary community for sharing their baby poo images.

Meconium

Your baby’s first poos are called meconium. They are a dark, greenish black colour and very sticky, almost like tar. Meconium is made from substance your baby ingested in the womb, such as amniotic fluid, mucus, skin cells and lanugo (the fine hair that covered your baby’s body). Meconium doesn’t smell and only lasts for a few days.

Breast-fed poo

This is a mustardy, yellow colour, loose, with a grainy or seedy texture. Because it is soft and runny, it can sometimes be mistaken for diarrhoea. Breastfed poo has a sweet smell.

Bottle-fed poo

It is harder for a baby to digest formula than breast milk so the poo of a bottle-fed baby is bulkier than that of a breastfed baby. It’s likely to be a pale yellow or yellowish brown colour with a smell that’s more like your own poo.

Solid food poo

Once your baby starts on solids his poo will change and become larger and thicker, more like an adult’s poo. It will smell like adult poo, too. You may notice bits of undigested food in the poo. This is because some foods are more difficult to digest than others, for example sweet corn and grapes, but this is no cause for concern if your baby is thriving.

Diarrhoea

Diarrhoea poo can be yellow, green or brown in colour and is very watery and runny. It can seep or even explode out of the nappy. Often a result of an infection or allergy, it can lead to dehydration if it continues for 24 hours or if your baby is vomiting as well, is feverish, passing blood or has mucus in the poo, or has abdominal pain you should seek urgent medical advice.

Constipation

Hard poo that is difficult to pass and look like rabbit droppings are a sign of constipation. Your baby may strain, cry and go red in the face while he tries to poo. If there is any sign of blood in the poo you should contact your GP or health visitor.

Poo with blood

Blood in the poo is usually a symptom of constipation. It occurs as a result of small tears in the anus caused by straining. Sometimes blood in poo can be a sign of something more serious so you should seek medical advice.

Green poo

This can be a sign that a breastfed baby is not latched on properly so that he’s drinking a lot of the watery milk at the beginning of the feed and is not getting enough of the fat-rich milk at the end of the feed. Ask your healthcare professional to check your latch and make sure your baby empties one breast before starting on the second one.

Poo with mucus

Poo streaked with slimey mucus can be a sign of an infection or allergy. If it’s accompanied by other symptoms or lasts for more than two days seek medical advice.

The information on this website is for general information and it is not intended as, nor should it be considered as a substitute for seeing your own GP, midwife or healthcare professional. You are advised to seek professional medical advice if you have any concerns or suspect you have a medical problem.
No endorsement of the products, services or websites advertised on this website is implied or intended by The Royal College of General Practitioners.